Seaport Masters 2012 round 7

Thijssen - Golubeva 2-0

In this position Golubeva could not develop using 18-23? because of 35.34-30 13-18 (and not 14-19? due to 36.38-32 27x38 37.42x33 28x48 38.49-44 48x31 39.36x9 W+) 36.43-39 27-31 37.36x27 22x31 38.38-33 and black is stuck in a web of combinations, for example 18-22? 39.26-21 17x26 40.42-38 31x42 41.39-34 28x39 42.34x43 42x33 43.24-20 15x24 44.30x6 W+ Therefore she decided to exchange with 27-31!? 35.36x27 22x31, which was a small success for the white player. 36.43-39 18-22? Now both players overlooked the combination 37.25-20! 14x25 38.34-30 25x41 39.47x9 with an immediate win for white. 37.34-30? 11-16(?) 38.39-34? This time the combination was only 1 move deep: 38.25-20! 14x41 39.47x9 W+ 13-18 39.34-29 16-21? Here 31-36 would have been a better defense. 40.38-32! 28-33 41.29x38 22-28 42.32x23 18x20 Black has weaknesses on both wings now. 43.38-33! Thijssen brings the positional threat 33-29! into play. Golubeva had no better than to sacrifice a piece with 20-24 44.30x19 14x23 45.33-28! 23x41 46.47x16 10-14 47.35-30 15-20 48.42-38 12-18 49.38-32 18-23 50.32-27 7-12 51.26-21 17x26 52.16-11 14-19 53.25x14 19x10 54.11-6 12-17 55.6-1 17-21 56.27x16 23-28 57.1-18 28-32 58.18-27 and black resigned.

NDiaye - Silva 0-2

When NDiaye looked for expansion with 39.27-21, Silva replied with the ingenious move 2-7!! Now white has only one plan left. 40.21-16 9-14 41.34-30 25x34 42.39x30 12-18! 43.43-39 18-22! 44.39-34? It's hard to believe, but after this move the white position is probably lost. The proper way to defend the white position was 44.30-25 24-29 45.33x13 22x44 46.13-8 44-50 47.8-2 24-29 45.33x13 22x42 46.13-8 42-47! 47.30-24 NDiaye sacrifices a piece, because 47.8-3? loses due to 47-20! 48.3x21 7-12 49.16x29 20x16 B+ 47x20 48.8-2 20-15! Black can simply wait another move. 49.2-30 What else? 14-19! 50.30x21 7-12! 51.16x29 15x16 and white resigned.

Zhou - Schwarzman 1-1

Schwarzman completely dictates the position, and few people would have guessed that Zhou be able to make a draw. 9-13 33.44-40 10-14 34.43-39 24-29 35.33x24 22x44 36.40x49 17-22 37.45-40 21-26 38.42-37 8-12 39.40-34 3-9 40.49-43 12-17 41.43-39 18-23 42.24-20 17-21 43.20-15 21-27 44.32x21 16x27 45.30-24 19x30 46.35x24 With strong and logical moves black has reached a completely winning position. The easiest way to win now was using 13-19! 47.24x13 9x18 48.39-33 14-19 49.37-32 27-31 50.36x27 22x31 etc. 23-28 This move is winning too, but it gives the Chinese player the opportunity to escape into an endgame that is much more complicated than expected. 47.34-29 13-18 48.36-31! 27x36 49.38-32 22-27 50.32x12 14-19 51.24x13 9x7 52.25-20 27-31 53.20-14! 31x42 54.14-10 36-41 55.10-5 41-47 56.29-24! ( prevents 42-48? using 57.39-33! 47x20 58.15x24 with a draw) 47-36 57.5-19! Again 42-48? is not possible, this time due to 58.19-2 48x19 59.2x24 and white cannot win anymore. 7-12(?) It was better to prevent the next white move using 36-18! Then white has no good way to keep preventing 42-48. 58.39-34! 36-9? Schwarzman tries to stop the piece on 34, but it is too late. With 12-17! 59.34-30 42-48 60.30-25 48-34! he still could have won the game, for example 61.19-5 (not 61.24-20? due to 36-13 62.19x21 26x17 B+) 34-45 62.5-19 36-18 63.19-5 18-13 64.24-20 26-31 65.5-46 31-36 etc. B+ 59.34-30! Now 9-25? only leads to a draw 60.19-46! 25x34 61.24-20! etc. 26-31 60.19-46 9-3 61.30-25! Now black is too late to stop the white pieces. 42-48 62.24-19 3-8 63.19-14 8-30 64.25x34 48x9 65.46-23 9-18 66.23-14

Borghetti - Heusdens 0-2

After the passive exchange 34.28-23? 18x29 35.27-22 17x28 36.32x34 Heusdens made preparations for a break through with 21-27! 37.34-30? Borghetti plans to attack the piece on 24, but this attack i s too slow. 13-18! 38.39-34 1-7! 39.45-40 7-12! Black first organizes the defense of the piece on 24, before he continues his attack on the white left wing. 40.34-29 27-31 41.29x20 15x24 42.40-34 14-20! 43.25x23 18x40 44.35x44 24x35 45.38-32 31-36 46.32-27 3-8 47.27-22 8-13 48.43-38? 9-14(?) The exchange 12-17! 49.22x11 16x7 was probably more efficient. 49.33-28 14-19 50.48-43 16-21 51.38-32 12-18? Interestingly Borghetti decided to resign in this position. But Heusdens' last move was in fact a mistake. With 52.42-38! 18x27 53.28-23!! 19x28 54.32x23 white could have made an unexpected draw. Edit: As Ron Heusdens explained, the moves 51.38-32 12-18? were not part of the game anymore. They were played by Borghetti during the analysis, while the moves were still recorded by the electronic board software.

Mbongo - Georgiev 0-2

After a terrible opening an middle game, Mbongo seemed to have the worst part of the game behind him in his game with Georgiev. 44.38-32! 27x38 45.33x42 19-24 46.29x20 15x24 47.42-38?? Here the logical move 47.28-23! would have resulted in an easy draw, for example 17-22 48.34-29 24x33 49.42-38 33x31 50.36x9 3x14 51.23-18 or 17-21 48.36-31 3-8 49.42-38 etc. 13-19! Of course! Perhaps Mbongo planned something like 48.38-32 17-21 49.28-23 19x28 50.32x23, but this is lost after 21-27 B+ 48.36-31 17-21 49.37-32 26x37 50.32x41 21-27 51.41-37 3-8 52.38-33 27-32